FR2617810A3 - Folding package of the fruit tray type - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a folding package of the fruit tray type, comprising a rectangular bottom 1 and lateral walls 2, 3, two of these walls which are parallel with each other being adjoining at their top with a platform 6 disposed above the said bottom and parallel with it. The said platforms 6 comprise, starting from each upper corner of the wall 3 which they adjoin, a first folding line 8 at 45 DEG to the adjoining wall 3 and the contiguous wall 4 and whose concaveness faces the inside of the package. The walls 3 adjoining the said platforms themselves comprise, starting from each of their bottom corners, a second folding line 9 with concaveness facing the outside, which is oriented obliquely at 45 DEG towards the said coping 6 and which extends at the surface of the latter at 9a parallel with the said first folding line 8.

Description

Foldable packaging like fruit trays.

 The present invention relates to improvements made to the packaging of the type of fruit or vegetable trays, in a semi-rigid material such as corrugated cardboard, with a view to allowing these packages to be folded flat.

 Fruit and vegetable trays are very successful, both with carriers and users. Indeed, these packages open at their upper part, where two so-called "sidewalks" adjoining two parallel walls and extending parallel to the bottom are designed to allow stacking of the trays, are very simple to produce, have great mechanical resistance and allow direct exposure to the sale of the items they contain.

 However, they have the drawback of being difficult to deliver pre-assembled, in an empty state, to users, because of their volume, which prevents them from being transported empty over long distances and their storage before use. They must therefore, in general, be mounted at the place of their use.

 The present invention aims to remedy this drawback by proposing a new packaging of this type which can be delivered pre-assembled and folded flat to users, who only have to put them into volume manually.

 To this end, the invention relates to a packaging of the type of fruit and vegetable trays in a semi-rigid material such as corrugated cardboard, this packaging comprising a rectangular bottom, two longitudinal walls and two transverse walls all four perpendicular to said bottom, two of these walls, parallel to each other, being adjoining at their upper part to an entablature or "sidewalk" disposed above said bottom parallel to it, this packaging being characterized in that in view of allow it to be folded flat in the pre-assembled state, said sidewalks comprise, from each upper corner of the wall to which they are attached, a first fold line which forms an angle of 45 with the adjoining wall and the adjoining wall and whose concavity is turned towards the inside of the packaging, while the walls adjoining said sidewalks themselves comprise, from each of their lower angles, a second line folding concavity turned outward, which is oriented obliquely at 450 towards said entablature and which extends at the surface thereof parallel to said first fold line.

 As will be seen below, in the detailed description which will follow with reference to the accompanying drawings, because of the inverted concavities of the first and second fold lines, it is possible to accordion the folds around the second fold lines of the walls which are adjoining the sidewalks, to bring in the same plane the central part of these walls and these sidewalks limited by these second fold lines and to apply them against the bottom of the platform, while the end parts of these same walls and the adjoining walls to which they are adjacent also come to fold outwardly towards the bottom and said central part.

 The pre-assembled packaging can thus be delivered folded flat to users, who can store it in this form while using only a reduced volume of their installations.

 To restore the volume of the tray, it will be enough for the user: to straighten the two walls to which the sidewalks are not adjoining them, separating them from each other. At the end of the volume setting, the sidewalks ensure the bracing of the walls to which they are attached and thus contribute to keeping the packaging in the mounted position, in particular when the trays filled with fruit, vegetables or other articles are stacked on top of each other.

 As is usual in the art, the packaging according to the invention may be produced from a single blank of corrugated cardboard suitably cut and "pushed back" (pre-folded).

 The walls adjoining the "sidewalks" or the other walls may include at their ends flaps applied against the internal face or the external face of the adjoining wall and integral with the latter, in particular by gluing, in order to ensure the assembly of these walls. The grooves of these flaps may be arranged, according to the desired resistance, parallel or perpendicular to the bottom.

 In known manner, the sidewalks will be extended at their ends by legs folded inside the packaging against the adjoining wall and glued against it or against flaps adjoining the adjacent walls, in the case where these are glued to the exterior of said walls.

 The sidewalks can be adjoining both the longitudinal walls and the transverse walls.

Furthermore, the walls to which the sidewalks are adjacent may have a height equal to or greater than that of the other walls.

 In all these embodiments, the packaging according to the invention can be easily folded flat in the pre-assembled state and delivered in this form to users or stored thereby by them while occupying only a reduced volume, the user can then volume them manually, in an extremely simple way, without using any tool or machine whatsoever.

The accompanying drawings illustrate various forms of implementation of the invention. On these drawings, which are not limiting
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the tray according to the invention, after volume setting thereof
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank of corrugated pre-cut and repressed cardboard from which the tray of FIG.
Figure 3 illustrates the flat folding of this tray
Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figures 1 and 3 of a second embodiment of the invention
Figures 6 and 7, on the one hand, 8 and 9, on the other hand, are views similar to Figures 1 and 3 of two other embodiments of the invention.

 Reference will first be made to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The plate illustrated by these figures comprises a rectangular bottom 1, to which are adjoined by fold lines of the transverse walls 2 and of the longitudinal walls 3 erected perpendicular to this bottom. At the ends of the longitudinal walls 3 are articulated by fold lines of the flaps 4, applied against the internal face of the transverse walls 2 and glued against them.

 At the upper part of each of the walls 3, a sidewalk 6, articulated on the wall by a fold line, extends parallel to the bottom 1. The sidewalks 6 are extended, at each of their ends, by a tab 7, folded down against the external face of the contiguous transverse wall 2 and glued against it.

 According to the invention, a first fold line 8 extends from the upper corners of the tray on the sidewalks 6 towards the free edge of these sidewalks, making an angle of 45 with the connection line of the sidewalk 6 and of the wall 3 and with the edge of the wall 2 contiguous. This fold line 8 has its concavity turned towards the inside of the plate.

 A second fold line 9 extending obliquely from each of the lower angles of the walls 3 in the direction of the sidewalk 6 adjoining this wall, forming an angle of 45 with the lower edge of the wall 3.

This line 9 is extended on the sidewalk 6 by a portion 9a parallel to the line 8. The fold line 9 has its concavity turned towards the outside of the packaging.

 After assembly and setting in volume of the tray, it is possible, to fold it flat, to push back the walls 3 in the direction of the bottom 1, as is done with the packaging for pastry cakes. This causes the wall 3 to fold in accordion around the lines 9, brings the portion of the sidewalks 6 comprised between the lines 9a in the extension of the walls 3, simultaneously causes the folding of the sidewalks 6 around the lines 8 and leads towards the bottom 1 the transverse walls 2.

 The pre-assembled tray can thus be delivered in a small volume to the user, who can store it himself in this form.

 To put the tray in volume, the user will have to separate the walls 2 from one another, which will simultaneously straighten the walls 3 and will have the effect of bringing the sidewalks 6 to their place perpendicular to the walls. adjoining. The sidewalks will thus contribute to keeping the tray in position and, when it is full and will support other trays stacked on top of each other, which will stress the walls 3 outwards, the sidewalks will oppose any deformation plates.

 As can be seen at 10 in FIG. 1, the flutes of the flaps 4, after setting in volume, are "lying", that is to say parallel to the bottom 1 of the plate. They could naturally be upright, that is to say perpendicular to the bottom, the choice of the chosen solution depending on the constraints to which the plate will be subjected and the resistance to be given to it.

 Naturally, if one does not want extra thicknesses caused by the tabs 7 outside the walls 2, cutouts can be made in these walls, the tabs 7 then being glued to the flaps 4.

 In the variant of Figures 4 and 5, the elements already described are designated by the same reference numbers, assigned the index '. This plate differs from that of FIGS. 1 to 3 only in that the flaps 4 'are glued to the outside of the walls 2', the tabs 7 'being glued to these flaps.

 The variant shown in Figures 6 and 7 is similar to that of Figures 4 and 5 and identical elements are represented there by the same reference numbers. As seen in 10 ', however, the flutes of the flaps 4' are "standing". In addition, while the stacking studs 11 came from the walls 2 ′, in the case of FIGS. 4 and 5, the studs 11 ′ came from the flaps 4 ′ in the case of FIG. 4. These two variants, well known in themselves, can be used with all forms of implementation of the invention.

 In the tray shown in Figures 8 and 9, where the bodies already described are designated by the same reference numbers assigned the index ", the sidewalk 6" adjoins the transverse walls 2 "and no longer the longitudinal walls 3" . It is therefore on the transverse walls 2 "that are practiced, from their lower angles, the fold lines 9" extending on the sidewalks by the fold lines 9 "a, parallel to the lines 9".

 In this embodiment, the flaps 4 "are adjacent to the transverse walls and glued to the exterior of the walls 3" and the tabs 7 "of the flaps 6" are glued to these flaps. The flaps 4 "could, of course, be glued to the internal face of the walls 3". They can be with lying or standing grooves.

 In all these embodiments, the tray folded flat occupies a minimum volume and can be easily set up by the user without requiring any tool whatsoever. After setting in volume, the straightened sidewalks contribute to the stiffening of the packaging, in particular to stacking, without any weakening resulting from the fold lines provided on the walls. The description of these embodiments has been made with reference to corrugated cardboard, but it is clear that it would not go beyond the scope of the invention e2 using for certain uses a different material and in particular ordinary cardboard.

Claims (3)

 1.- Packaging of the type of fruit and vegetable trays in a semi-rigid material such as corrugated cardboard, this packaging comprising a rectangular bottom (1), two longitudinal walls (3) and two transverse walls (2) all four perpendicular to said bottom, two of these walls parallel to each other being adjoining their upper part to an entablature or "sidewalk" (6) disposed above said bottom parallel to the latter, this packaging being characterized in that, with a view to allow it to be folded flat in the pre-assembled state, said sidewalks (6) comprise, from each upper corner of the wall (3) to which they are attached, a first fold line (8) which forms an angle of 45 with the adjoining wall (3) and the adjoining wall (4) whose concavity is turned towards the interior of the packaging, while the walls (3) adjoining said sidewalks themselves comprise, from each of their lower angles , a second line d e folding (9) with concavity turned outward, which is oriented obliquely at 45 towards said entablature (6) and which extends on the surface thereof (in 9a) parallel to said first fold line (8) .  2.- Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the walls (3, 3 ', 2 ") to which are attached the sidewalks (6, 6', 6") have at each of their ends a flap (4, 4 ', 4 ") applied against the internal or external face of the adjoining wall (2, 2', 3") and integral with it.  3.- Packaging according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the sidewalks (6, 6 ', 6 ") have at each of their ends legs (7, 7', 7") folded against the face external of the adjoining wall (2, 2 ', 3 ") or against the end flaps (4, 4') of the end of the wall, these sidewalks are attached, in the case where these flaps are applied against the external face of said wall contiguous, said tabs (7, 7 ', 7 ") being fixed on said contiguous wall or on said flaps.